Vaporizer



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Sept 23, 1924 .&

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. WITNESSES Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

-UNITED STATES ARTHUR`HORACE WEBBER, OF BOSTON, `MASSAGHU'SETTS.

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Application iled November 23, 1921.

To all whom it may concer/n:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. WEBBER, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Vaporizer, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention more particularly aims to provide as a new article ofmanufacture, a vaporizing device adapted for use in connection with aninternal combustion engine, but as an auxiliary or satellite for, ratherthan a variation in the construction of, a carbureter, mixing valve orthe like, hereinafter referred to as the carbureter. I appreciate thatthe termvaporizer7 has heretofore ordinarily been held objectionable inthe art of carbureters; but` I have actually found. that what shouldespecially be emphasized in connection with my new article ofmanufacture is the fact that the same is never a substitute Vfor nor acomponent 'part of a carbureter, but instead is an entirely newF-` andadditional adjunct to such a' carbureter, and an adjunct which is a truevaporizer. My new device is never, as just stated, a component of thecarbureter, because always introduced in the conduit between thecarbureter and a cylinder intake, and thus always absolutely locatedbeyond the throttle valve of the carbureter. This auxiliary, rather thansubstitute character of the device of the present invention having thusbeen emphasized, I state that the reason said device is termed a newarticle of manufacture is because the device is constructed according toa certain discovery of mine and whereby it performs an entirely new aswell as a valuable function in regard to the fuel mixture dischargedbeyond a carbureter; and, this having been said, I state next that thereason said device is termed a vaporizer, and not an atomizer (as hasheretofore been held to be the only proper term so far as a carburetoror mixing valve is concerned) is because the device of the presentinvention does actually vaporize previously unvaporized portions of thefuel mixture subjected to the action of the device. As will beunderstood, such fuel mixture, when discharged from carbureters, atleast such carbureters as are heretofore known, has a portion which ismore mistlike than other portions thereof, or in other words, the latterportions contain distinct drops of hydrocarbon material, My` deviceSerial No. 517,326.

vice of the present invention is so constructl ed and such passages areso arranged that, with the device on the one hand located entirelybeyond the confines of the carbureter, the device on the other handautomatically segregates the two portions of the explosive charge,sending one to a passage especially designed therefor -and sending theother to a characteristically different passage; such segregation takingplace immediately on entrance of the explosive charge into the end ofthe device directed toward the carbureter. As a result of this feature,andas a result of the designs and relative locations of such passages,and possibly due to other causes the nature and explanations of whichare probably now debatable in the art, I have discovered that when mynew device is in` corporated as 'explained above, practically all partsnof any explosive charge entering a the same as aforesaid, merge fromthe end of the device directed towards the intake of an engine cylinderand minglev there and travel on together towards said intake so thatpractically the entire charge goes to the engine without any loopingback of any appreciable ortion thereof to a point in the explosive carge conduit between the carbureter and the new device; but above andbeyond this, I have actually discovered that the portions of the chargewhich entered the device as above described `and which then containedunatomized fuel, now

is in even a more tenuous state than any other part of the chargeissuing from the discharge end of the new device and 1s 1n leffect trulyvaporized.

In connection with the preparation of a volatile fuel mixture, such asis produced by the carbureter, and consumed by an internal combustionengine, it is a well appreciated fact that considerable diiculty. has.been experienced in obtaining lanything like a maximum eiciency from thefuel consumed.

Although a number of different reasons are presented as producing thiscondition,

it is well understood by those conversant with the art, that one of themost pertinent factors to unsatisfactory and inefficient eration is theimproper atomization of fuel, Morel particularly this BBG is no,

and

ticeable in the appearance of unvaporized fuel particles which are notcarried in a state of suspension by the fluid mixture but rather appearas drops creeping upwardly along the inner face of the intake manifold,and subsequently pass into the cylinders at which point they counteractthe eiiciency of the explosions produced by the fuel mixture, producecarbon and also pass between the pistons and cylinders, and drop intothe crank case resulting in a dilution of the oil within the latter.

Still another object of my invention is to construct a mixing devicewhich may be simple in construction and economically manufactured, andapplied, aside from the fact that said mixing device will not interferein the slightest with the normal flow of the fuel mixture, regardless ofthe degree of suction upon the intake manifold.

Further objects of this invention will become apparent in the annexedspecification taken in connection with the drawings,

which latter illustrate practical embodiments of the same and in which;

Figure 1 is a sectional side view of my improved type of mixer.

Figure 2 is a similar View showing this member detached from the partswith which it is `to be associated, and also illustrating a slightlydifferent construction of mixer,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figures 1 and 2, but showing my improvedtype of mixer as forming a part of the intake mani- 'l fold proper.

The essence of my invention consists in the provisioi of a vaporizerwhich will in no way interfere with the properly vapor ized fuelparticles, but will rather permit the same to flow directly, and in theusual manner from the lcarbureter to the cylinders. Further thenon-vaporized particles of fuel will be caused, by means of my improvedtype of vaporizer, to follow a tortuous course, and will be subjected toa vaporizing action, while following this course, the vaporizer beingfurther of such a construction that it will not permit the escape ofthese particles, or drops, until the same are ina proper condition topresent a mixture having a well nigh perfect explosive quality.

Thus it will be seem-reference being had to Figure 1, that the numeral 5indicates any conventional type of carbureter, and 6 theintake manifoldof the internal combustion engine or other consuming element, both VofVthese members being provided in the usual manner, with flanges 7, andit is between these portions that I preferably arrange 'my va orizer.

eferring to the detailed construction of this latter element it will beseen that the same consists solely of a multiple-passage rename conduitstructure including a casingtl presenting flanged ends 9 correspoudingAto the flanges Y so that suitable attaching elements 10 may cooperatewith these members to couple the whole together as one unit. lt is to beunderstood, however, in this co1inection that any desirable type ofattaching medium may be employed to properly interpose the vaporizerbetween the caibuietcr and intake manifold. It is also to be noted thatthe said vaporizei' includes an inner sleeve portion 11 disposed withinand spaced from the inner face of the casing 8, so that a space orchamber 12 is provided lietween these elements, for a purposehereinafter specified.

Also it will be seen that I preferably position a venturi member 13within the sleeve 11, and this venturi member is preferably retained inspaced relationship with respect to the inner face of the sleeve byproviding a double helical rib' 15 on the inner face of the said sleeve,the outer edges of said rib contacting with the outer face of theventuri 13. Thus a spirally extending` passage 15 is caused to existbetween the member 13 and sleeve 11, and one end of this passagecommunicates with' the upper end of the carbureter, the opposite end ofsaid passage communicating, in the embodiment illustrated, with theintake manifold, it being noted that both ends of the passage lieadjacent the walls of these members.

Thus, assuming that the consuming element is in operation, and that thecarbu reter is producing an explosive fuel mixture, it will beunderstood that the properly atomized fuel particles will iow upwardlypast the throttle valve, through thc venturi, and thus into the intakemanifold 6.' Further, the unvaporized particles of fuel will, in theusual manner, be deposited on the side walls of the mixing chamber, andwill creep away from the carbureter, due to the velocity of the columnof fluid passing into the intake manifold. These drops, or particles offuel, will thus eventually reach the entrance end of the spirally extending passage-way 15, and with a view of expediting the vaporizationof the fuel par 1 ticles while in this passage, it will be seen that thechamber 12 is connected with intake and exhaust tubes 16, the formerbeing preferably connected to the exhaust manifold so that the chamberor space is heated to x .a high extent, which heat is preferably'transmitted through radiation to the passage 15.

It will be understood that the unvaporized fuel particles will besubjected to the action of heat to such ain extent that they willreadily change into gas, and flow from the discharge end of the passage15 into the column of explosive Huid flowing through the intake manifold6. It will further be noted that the'relatively great length of thepassage 15 as compared to the small distance existing between thecarburetor and manifold serves three purposes; first, the particles ofunvaporized fuel will be caused to pass over a maximum length of heatedsurface, to insure their receiving the greatest benefit from the actionof this heat; second, due to this tortuous passa but a relatively smallamount of fuel vehicle (air) will pass through the convolutions of thepassage thus causing the unvaporized fuel particles to rely upon theirassuming a wholly gaseous form before they can escape from the passage,and third, due to the sluggish flow of vehicle through the oonvolutionsof the passage, an unvaporized fuel particle will advance but slowly, ifat all, through the convolutions of the passage until it becomeslightened by parts of yits body being vaporized, it being thu-sunderstood that a particularly non--responsive fuel particle will bevirtually trapped until it changes into a gaseous duid.

Assuming, in certain instances, that the' radiation upon the inner faceof the sleeve 1l will not be suilicient, it will be understood that thiscondition might readily be remedied, as has been illustrated in Figure2, by,

simply constructing a casing 17 corresponding*A to the casing 8 in allparticulars with the exception that the sleeve ll-V is eliminatedtherefrom. l'Further in lieu of the sleeve 1l a separate tube or sleeve1S may be substituted, and this sleeve is formed with aspirallyextending corrugation l9, thus providing a helical groove 20 between thesaid sleeve and venturi 13.

lt will be seen that the sleeve in this in.

stance may be of a material such as aluminum, brass, etc., which willpermit of the thickness of the -walls of the sleeve "being prlmarilyreduced, so that, due to both heat conductivity,A and lighter thickness,the inner tace of the sleeve will be heated to a far vgreater extentthan the inner face of the sleeve 11. Also incident to corrugations theradiation surface will be greatly increased in area, wand.' thus eachparticle of vaporized fuel will receive the maximum eiects of which myvaporizer is capable. Also in connection 'with the constructionillustrated a device which forms an integral unit of the intake manifold21, land the casing 22 corresponds l1n 'general r ts to the casing 8,itbemg noted, however` that the sleeve in thisV instance is provided bysimply using the pipe of the .intake manifold 21,,fand formed on theinner face of this portion of the manifold is a singlehelical rib 23providing a spirally extending passage 24 between the venturi 13 and theinner face of the intake manifold. Obviously this type of device willoperate in the same maner as the vaporizer shown in Figure 1, and itwill further be appreciated in this connection that any desirable typeof single or double helical rib structure may be employed as is found tobe most beneficial, it being further appreciated that, in fact, otherthan spiral passages may be employed to advantage in certain instances.Also in lieu of the venturi 13 the outer face of which forms the innerface of the passage way it will be understood that any suitable type ofmember for this purpose may be utilized. Also due to the positioning ofthe venturi at this point it will be obvious that the fluid column willexert a certain amount of suction upon the discharge end of the passageway of the vaV porizer.

'lhus all ofthe objects set forth in this specification areaccomplished, and it will be understood that a vaporizer embodying` myimproved construction will in no way inter- :tere with the normaloperation of the consuming element. or the transmission of thevolatilefuel mixture thereto, but will, in fact, enhance the explosive qualitiesof this fuel mixture by trapping lall unvaporized or incompletelyvaporized fuel particles, and retaining them until the same are ingaseous form, thus also reducing the cost of operation of the nsumingunit for the specication.

lFinallv it will be appreciated that numerous modiiications of structuremight readily be resorted to without in the least departing from thespirit of my invention, which l claim as: y

.1. A vaporizer for the interposition of luel supply pipe between thecarbureter and engine ot an internal combustion engine,

ico

reasons brought out in the preamble of this y comp-risng a casing havingan annular heating inlet and outlet openings, a venturi in the innerwall of the casing and of less diameter than. the same, and meansbetween the venturi and said wall and orming there- ,between a spiralpassage open at both ends.

lA device of the kind described including' a casing, a sleeve arrangedwithin and spaced from the inner face of said casing` a rib formed onthe inner face of said sleeve,

and a venturi member disposed within said sleeve and engaging theedgesof seid rib for providing a passage.

4. A vaporzfer for interp-osiion in a fuel 5 supply pipe between thecarbureber and engine of -arn internal combustion engine, comprising acasing having spaced annular Walls forming a. heating chamberdrerebetWeen, he inner WaH being provided on its inner face with e spirarib, and :1. venturi in the 10 inner Wall .and forming with the ribthereof e spiral passage open ma both ends.

ARTHUR HGRAGE TVEBBER.

